We’ve all heard the expression, “You won’t believe your eyes,” but the single biggest achievement for “Gravity,” is that you will believe your eyes. You will absolutely feel as if you’re floating in space with Sandra Bullock and, try as you might to figure out ‘How’d they do that?’, you won’t be able to—the visual effects are that convincing, that seamless. They don’t call it ‘Movie Magic’ for nothing, folks.
Sandra Bullock plays a scientist whose job it is to make repairs on the Hubble Telescope. George Clooney is the square-jawed pilot who feels just as comfortable on a spacewalk as he would be telling jokes in a bar. In fact, his approach to his job is nearly identical to spinning yarns with old pals.
While Clooney and Bullock are outside the spacecraft, debris from a broken satellite (it belongs to the Russians, Grrr) flies into Bullock, sending her into an uncontrollable spin, and separating her from Clooney and the mother ship.
So far, I haven’t mentioned anything that hasn’t been revealed in the (thankfully) truncated trailer. Nor will I. But you’ll never guess what happens from one crises to the next, as Bullock tries to, somehow, find her way back to safety.
Director Alfonso Cuaron has put together a near-perfect film. It’s a taut 90 minutes with nary a slow-down in the frenetic narrative. What Cuaron successfully pulls off (that the upcoming film “All is Lost” with Robert Redford does not) is that he makes us care about the characters. The glorious, sumptuous shots of planet Earth as seen a few hundred miles hgh extreme in space would be nothing more than a documentary if we didn’t care about the main character and her plight.
There have been many films released in 3-D this year, and most were unnecessary cash grabs by the studios, but “Gravity” must be seen in 3-D IMAX to fully appreciate the scope and to feel immersed in Bullock’s perilous world. Seriously, this is not a film where you wait to see it on DVD or Blu-ray at home. Pay the extra few bucks and you’ll feel that you got your money’s worth.
I don’t want to suggest that “Gravity” is a deep film or a life changer or that it is “important” in the way that the Best Picture contenders starting in a month or two will purport to be—at its core, it’s just a really cool thriller, a white-knuckle ride the likes of which I haven’t experienced in years. It is, and this is a high compliment—great entertainment. I hope it rejuvenates the public’s feeling about going to the movies, which have admittedly become very expensive and often attended by boorish patrons talking out loud and putting their feet on the back of one’s seat. This kind of awe-inspiring flick may just force people to shut up and watch.
As soon as I got home, I started researching the “secrets” behind the effects. I don’t recommend doing that. We know the answer to everything these days—just let this experience stay “magic” for as long as you can.
“Gravity” is Rated PG-13. It gets 4 Stars, the highest rating.
This is a great review KO and perhaps doesnt gush as much as mine but it touts its brilliance in no uncertain terms. I have to see this again in the theater.
Thanks, Kyle. This is the review I’ve been waiting for. I’ve read several already that made me think I should go see this movie, but none–until yours–that has answered the question I most wanted to konw: Is it worth seeing in IMAX 3D. As always, I appreciate your insight.
IMAX 3D is the only way to see this movie, Mike…not just for the visual, but the audio as well. While some of the shots were incredibly frightening, it was really the audio that made me feel like I was in space. It helped that the theater was completely silent, but IMAX’s powerful surround sound created a whole new level of immersion I’ve never experienced from a movie before.